535: Brainspotting + Healing Childhood Trauma With Dr. Cherie Lindberg

We continue our conversations about Brainspotting in this week's episode with my guest, Dr. Cherie Lindberg. Cherie is the author of Sacred Healing, a former psychotherapist of 25 years, a speaker, a Brainspotting consultant and trainer, and a coach working with high performing individuals and the practitioners who serve them. In our conversation, Cherie shares that despite being abused as a child, she didn't recognize until she was in graduate school that she was experiencing Complex PTSD.

Initially finding little help from talk therapies, Cherie notes that many of the attachment wounds affecting her were from early years and stored non-verbally. She explains that she experienced her first shifts through EMDR therapy, which reduced some of the symptoms, but she was still living her life in a way that felt inauthentic, still operating from that wounded place. We talked about the "fawn" response to threat which shows up in performative behaviors like people-pleasing and accommodating others while suppressing our own thoughts and feelings, wants and needs. Through deep Brainspotting work, Cherie found herself using the "fawning" strategy less and less and showing up more often as her authentic self. Now she teaches her coaching clients and Brainspotting students and consultees how to do the same!

Find Dr. Cherie Lindberg's book, Sacred Healing, and more at her website

Find Dr. Cherie Lindberg on socials: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube

My course on therapy skills for work with survivors of sexual violence is available on The Academy of Therapy Wisdom site. Watch a free video and access the course. Find the video and access the course here!

We are all carrying a lot, whether we are helping professionals or not. Retreats have been hugely beneficial for me, and I am now offering them - for therapists and non-therapists - in several beautiful international and US-based locations. We're currently updating the TTN website to list retreats in 2026 and 2027 in Spain, North Carolina, Mexico, Portugal, Greece, France and more. In the meantime, let me know if you are interested in learning more about what's coming up using this Google Form. Follow Therapy Chat on Instagram, Facebook and e-mail to be in the know!

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